PALO ALTO, Calif. - Eight seniors ran their final cross country race for Pepperdine on Saturday as the Waves took part in the NCAA West Regional, hosted by Stanford.

"We've got a great group of seniors," Pepperdine Coach Robert Radnoti said. "A number of parents came out to watch our seniors in their final race, and that was nice."

On the bus ride home, Radnoti and his team shared a special moment.

"Hannah DeWalt, one of our seniors and team captains, brought some sparkling apple cider and we passed it out with our Gatorade cups," he said. "She made a toast to every person on the team, speaking about all the wonderful things and experiences she's had with each of them. It was a wonderful way to cap the season. Everyone's feeling really blessed and full of love and joy with the team. One of my goals is always to build a team of brotherhood and sisterhood and they've really accomplished that."

A pair of seniors led the Waves to their respective finish lines, just as they've done for the majority of the season. Lauren Lodge (Hopkinton, Mass/Hopkinton HS) ran the women's 6k race at the Stanford Golf Course in 22:07, good for 93rd place. Since returning from injury, she was the top finishing Wave at the last four events.

In the men's 10k, Kenny Smith (Willits, Calif./Willits HS) finished first for the Waves for the sixth time in seven races, taking 111th place in 31:45.

"Kenny ran a really good race. It was a PR for him and he challenged Cole Feldman's time, who had our best time at Stanford in an NCAA Regional a few years ago," Radnoti said. "He was really pleased with that. Most everybody had PRs for this course and was able to finish the season strong."